


Meet Cute

by lazy_bird



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Barduil - Freeform, Barduil AU, F/M, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, The Hobbit AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-19 23:21:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11908341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazy_bird/pseuds/lazy_bird
Summary: In this world soulmates do exist. You meet your soulmate and you instantly know do to a mark that tells who the soulmate is. It’s their first words. It’s called a Meet Cute and it appears on your skin. Now, not every mark is romantic and Thranduil Greenleaf had to learn that the hard way but just because it’s not romantic doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it.





	Meet Cute

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited for this oneshot!!  
> I hope you all like it!!
> 
> P.s. English is my second language.

The fact that Thranduil Greenleaf never showed his Soul Mates mark, or—as the new term came around, the _Meet Cute_ —in his arm was a topic that piqued the interest of his close friends and family. Well, it gave them more curiosity than anything else. Yes, the _Meet_ Cute mark was something personal and intimate. Not even parents have that kind of power over their child. 

It's even protected by law.  

Usually, the mark would show when the person is of age, around eighteen, unless, in some of the rarest cases around the world, would show before or after. It always depends on the circumstances of the individuals. The term _Meet Cute_ was introduced by two generations before Thranduil’s. It was used in the cinematic world (around the 1940’s) not in real life. No one knew about the term until an article came out and the majority of the population fell in love with it. At first, it was called: _Soul Mark_. It was very romantic and powerful but everyone knows how a generation can change the meaning of something in an instant. The term is a situation when a character, in a movie, meets for the first time another character, realizing that there’s an attraction. Usually, this meeting involved words, a dialogue. 

No one knows who came up with the term but it was perfect. The _Soul Mark_ was that: your soulmate’s first words directed towards you.

There are people who are still calling it _Soul Mark_ but both are real terms, recognized by the cultural institutions in Middle Earth that dedicate themselves to work with languages. 

Now, Thranduil wasn’t part of that one percent of the population. He had his _Meet Cute_ when he turned eighteen. This was seven years ago. It was a very exciting day! He had his closest friends at his house for summer vacation. Thranduil wasn’t the type to express many emotions but there was genuine happiness that day. All his friends were talking about his mark and what it would say! Maybe something normal? Like his best friend Bilbo who got his mark earlier, when he was sixteen and met his Soul Mate, Thorin when he turned eighteen. Bilbo's was on his thigh and it said: _Excuse me, I've lost my way twice,_ and Thorin was at his shoulder blade and it said: _Say that again_? 

And that was it. 

Instant love.

Well, it was more like that part of the body got warm but yeah, love.   

Or it could be something romantic, like his parents. Thranduil's mother had her _Meet Cute_ on her waist. It was a verse from a song—a song that she would never forget. She even did some research about it and she fell in love instantly with whoever the person was. His dad had his on the ring finger. It started from the tip of his long fingers to almost to the middle of his palm.

Thranduil never got tired of hearing it and this is one of the reasons why he got so angry and disappointed when his _Meet Cute_ appeared.

On that dreadful birthday, all of Thranduil’s friends chanted to hear the parent’s _Meet Cute_.

“All right, all right!” said Thran’s mother while sitting on the edge of the pool and his father sat next to her. She started playing with his fingers and he closed his eyes and smiled. It was almost midnight and the light of the pool reflected the patterns of the water on their faces. Magical. “Ok, so I was living with my parents when I got my _Meet Cute_. It burned a lot but I was too excited to even care.”

“I didn’t even notice when I got mine,” said the father. “I was too busy playing my guitar to notice. I was so bad back then.” His wife chuckled.

“It was a verse of a song.” She proceeded to sing. “ _Hold me close and hold me fast/The magic spell you cast/This is La Vie En Rose/When you kiss me heaven sighs/And though I close my eyes/I see La Vie En Rose”_ Thran’s friends sigh and smiled as she sang. He hummed with her. It was truly romantic. “One day I went on a trip with a group of friends. We were at a plaza and it was beautiful. It was spring and the streets were covered in different vibrant colors.” Her eyes lit up when she spoke.

“That same day I decided to go that plaza with my guitar and play. I don’t remember the reason why I went. I just felt like going. Anyway, I was a very lazy person when it came to clothes. All I needed was my guitar.” It was odd to imagine him in that getup because now he looked like a normal dad. “I had a cap that day to hide my messy hair because that day was particularly hot. I sat on a bench and suddenly I hear lose change drop on my hat.” There was some giggling. Thran’s mother hid her face. “She was so embarrassed when I told her I wasn’t a beggar.”

“And he was so nice. He laughed it off and told me that he would dedicate a song either way and as soon as he started...”

He smiled. “She grabbed me by the collar and yelled: I’ve been looking for you my whole life!” and then proceed to show them his hand. “And we felt the warmth on our marks.”

That story made Thranduil smile and warm inside.

But, when it was time to blow out the candles, and the last second of midnight struck, he felt a burn starting on his forearm. Tears started to form in his eyes, and his chest inflated as he took a deep breath. He looked at it and saw how letters began to form in a darker shade of his skin tone. (Depending on the shade of the skin is how the letters form. In the spectrum of colors: the lighter the skin, the darker the latter and the darker the skin, the lighter the letters.) The first letter was ‘N’ and then followed by an ‘I’. Thranduil kept waiting for the letters to appear.

Everyone at the party was waiting in anticipation. His parents were holding hands and looking a bit nervous. Tauriel was at the edge of her chair, Bilbo was biting his lips, and Thorin was just counting the minutes until he got a piece of cake. Elrond was playing with his napping, twisting it until his fingers hurt. Celebrían was looking at Elrond and remembering when their _Meet Cute_ burned. It was quite funny and simple. Celebrían was walking with a paper bag full of fruits and Elrond was listening to music and not paying attention. They bumped into each other making all of the fruits fall on the ground.

“I am an idiot! Sorry! Let me help you!”

“It’s ok, I got it.” And then it burned. Celebrían chuckled because she always thought that her _Meet Cute_ was kind of silly but she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

When Thranduil’s mark finished it's revealed he frowned… He read it again confused that he read it wrong… but it was clear as day. Thran’s mother noticed and went to him. As soon as she got near his boy, he covered his forearm in embarrassment. There was silence. Tear weald in his eyes. It wasn’t near as romantic and wonderful as the one his parents had. It wasn’t even normal or silly. It was plain rude, humiliating and he hated it.

No one spoke of it. They respected his decision of staying quiet. There were times where his parents wanted to convince their son to show them to them to see if they could help but he would always say no, his attitude turning sour. They were afraid that it was a profanity of some sort. There were cases where _Meet Cutes_ weren’t, well, cute.

Well, at least Thorin got his slice of cake.

 

Seven years passed and Thranduil and all of his friends were out, celebrating Halloween. They went to the nearest club where everyone would be in costumes, dancing to loud music and drinking. Celebrían and Elrond’s costumes were Gangster and Flappers. Despite her having long and curly hair, she looked so gorgeous in a bob black wig. Bilbo and Thorin were vampires… Bilbo couldn’t believe that Thorin looked _so_ hot as a vampire. He had to stop staring so much. Tauriel was Waldo (with the hat and all) and Thranduil was a modern Witch. So… just dark clothes and a witch hat.

When Tauriel saw him she eyes him up and down and said: “I hate you.”

He shrugged. “At least I’m going.” And then they proceed to argue on the way to the club.

They danced, they drank, they laughed, they danced some more and took pictured with other people who had cool costumes. Thranduil was actually having a good time. He almost forgot about his rude _Meet Cute_. Seven years had passed and he hadn’t met his Soul Mate and he preferred it that way. There was no way he wanted to be with someone who was rude and had no class. Not him.

As he remembered he took another (his third, to be precise) shot of Fire Ball. That one did it. He got light headed and his throat burned. That was a mistake. The music was loud, he was sweating from the dancing, and people kept bumping into him since the club was packed. The costumes were making him dizzier, aliens, zombies, clowns, monsters were dancing around him and Thran couldn’t locate his friends. He had to get out of there and get fresh air.

If Tauriel was there she would have called him a lightweight.

Finally, he got out and took a deep breath. As the door closed, he could hear how the music drowned behind him. Thranduil rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes. Maybe if he stayed still, the ground would stop moving. His stomach was burning and he made a mental note that he should eat something solid before drinking. He didn’t feel good.

Thran walked towards the street to see if he could get a cab, it was one in the morning, Halloween was over and it was time to go home. He would text the others with his decision. He couldn’t wait anymore.

On the way home, he decided to stop at a 24 and buy a bottle of water and some Advil for his headache. Since it was close to his house he decided to walk it to see if the little cardio would do him some good. Thranduil was happy that Halloween was on a Saturday since he had Sunday to rest his tired body. That week was tough on him. He was a music teacher at an elementary school and had a part-time after five and it took a toll on his body. The kids were brutal and he almost lost it. That was one of the reasons he went to the club: to let out some steam.

When he got in he greeted the old lady at the counter and went to get his stuff. It had some people in. A couple with a baby (they were looking for some diapers), three teenagers dressed as power rangers and two adult men dressed as cops. Thranduil walked to the end of the store to get the water bottle. He was still drunk so he stumbled back and bumped into one of the men dressed as cops. He had a beard and was bald.

Very intimidating.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” he roared.

“Leave him, just another kid who got wasted.” The other man said in a very condescending tone. He smiled and looked at him up and down.

Thranduil scoffed, raised one of his eyebrows and looked at him up and down. “Nice stupid costume. Very original. The asshole cop is on point.” He said to the other, flipped his finger and walked away.

The bald fake cop dropped his mouth in shock while the other chuckled and crossed his arms. “Nice stupid eyebrows! Did you paint them to go with your outfit?” suddenly their _Meet Cute_ burned. Both of them gasped.

“For the love of—” said Dwalin under his breath. His partner can be a bit immature sometimes… but his words were cut suddenly when a group of men with pantyhose covering their faces entered the 24 with guns.

“Everyone on the ground!” some people screamed and when they didn’t listen, the same guy fired a shot on the ceiling and yelled again. “I fucking said everyone on the ground! Now!”

Finally, everyone was on the ground. The lady with his baby was sitting and pressing it on her chest with tears running down her cheek while her partner was giving her his back, shielding her. The teenagers were lying on the ground, scared and covering their heads and the fake cops and Thranduil were hiding behind one of the shelves.

“Shit.” Said the bald fake up. “You have got to be joking.”

“Dwalin, keep your voice down. We have to try and call for back up.” Said the other fake cop.

Wait? Back up?

One of the robbers was walking down towards them and pointed a very long rifle at them. “Shit! Alfrid! We got cops!”

“Don’t say my name out loud, you fucking idiot!” he stomped towards them. The pantyhose was pressing down hard on his nose. “Shit!”

Alfrid pointed at them too and Thranduil raised his hands and yelled, “They are fake cops! They are fake cops! Today is Halloween! They are fake cops!”

There was a moment of silence and he lowered their guns slowly as they saw the power rangers on the floor. The old lady was at the counter trying to get all the money on the bag as fast as possible. The man was yelling, “Hurry up! Damn it!”

The sudden shock of it all sobered him up. He had to act fast. The lady let out a cry when one of the robbers shook her to hurry up and that capture the attention of the men in front of them. Slowly he reached for the phone on his back pocket to dial 911. As soon as he tried to dial it someone grabbed his hair and pulled him up.

“You think you can call the police?!” yelled the fourth man.

All of the attention was on him and the fake cops stood up and took their guns and started yelling, “LOWER YOUR GUNS NOW! NOW!” But the men pointed their guns at them. Thranduil got chills when he heard how deep his voice went.

“You guys are fake cops! Don’t act like heroes!”

The younger cop grabbed the walkie-talkie, “This is Officer Bowman. We have a robbery on the 24 on Gondor Street. We need back up.”

There was silence for a second, “ _Your back up is on their way,”_ said the lady on the walkie talking. Panic appeared on their faces. Two men dropped their guns and ran out of there. Alfrid and the man that had Thranduil stood still.

“I suggest you lower your gun, Alfrid.” Officer Bowman said with his gun up. Sweat started to appear on his forehead.

They didn’t break the gaze. “I suggest you to lower your weapons or pretty boy here gets his head blown off!” Bowman looked at Thranduil and a new kind of panic rose. Thranduil could see the fear in his eyes. He felt that fear too when Bowman (and Dwalin) lowered their guns. “Nice and easy… now kick it away.” Both of them did. “Too bad we can’t leave witness since you already know my name.”

He was about to fire but the man who had Thranduil let out a yelp of pain when Thranduil elbowed his stomach and hurled in to the ground. In a split second, Bowman tackled Alfrid to the ground when he let his guard down. Bowman punched him but Alfrid hit his face with the back of the rifle and sent him back. He pointed the rifle at him but Thranduil jumped and air kicked Alfrid in the head, making him fall on the magazine rack.

Thranduil was a judo teacher at his part time job.

Black belt and all.

He let out a deep breath and then he looked at Officer Bowman who was just staring at him with his mouth open. “Well, aren’t you going to arrest him, officer?” both of the officers snapped and hand cuffed the two men. Thranduil went to see how the other people were and told them to get up.

Back up arrived and had already arrested the other robbers.

Officer Bowman was talking to the couple who were sitting on an ambulance. The paramedics were taking their blood pressure. The old lady had to be rushed because her sugar levels went off the roof out of shock and the teenagers were calling their parents and telling them that they were OK. Thranduil was watching everyone and thinking about how he deserved a nice warm bubble bath.

Officer Bowman locked eyes with Thranduil and walked towards him. Here he comes, Thranduil thought. It’s inevitable. “Hey,” Officer Bowman said.

“Hey,” Thranduil replied.

“So…”

“So…” he repeated. Bowman found it amusing and Thranduil couldn’t help but give a little smile. “I didn’t know you were a real officer. I hope I don’t get arrested for giving you the finger.” Bowman scratched his head and let out a small chuckle. “In my defense, I was a bit drunk.”

“A bit?” Bowman smirked. Thranduil blushed.

So this is the effect the _Meet Cute_ had on people… it was an obvious pull. Their hearts were racing—and not because of today’s event.

“Sorry for calling your eyebrows stupid… They are not stupid. Very flashy but…” he looked at Thranduil’s icy blue eyes. “…definitely not stupid.” Their eyes lingered. “You felt it… right?” Thranduil looked down and nodded. A big smile appeared on Bowman’s face and it made Thranduil’s heart did a flip. He had such a cute smile! This was bad! “My name is Bard. Bard Bowman.” He extended his hand awkwardly, not sure what to do.

Thranduil grabbed his hands and both felt the pull get stronger and electrifying. It raised the hairs on their bodies and Thranduil let out a small gasp. But they didn’t let go… “Thranduil Greenleaf…”

Bard caressed Thranduil’s hand with his thumb. “Nice to finally meet you.”

 

To say the least when Thranduil told everyone what happened Tauriel let out a scream in excitement. The type of scream you let out when seeing your favorite artist. All of them were at Thranduil’s apartment before he arrived. They were worried because they didn't know where he was since he didn’t pick up. They were about to call the police.

“I mean, I was so worried and a robbery! Oh, my god! Are you OK? Like, are you going to be OK? That must have been scary!” Thranduil went to take the Advil. This was going to be a longer night than he expected.

Bard had given him his phone number so that they could meet given the situation they were. A crime scene wasn’t the ideal place to discuss their _Meet Cute_ plus Bard needed to treat his pretty face.

Thranduil looked at his _Meet Cute_ and remembered all the time he hated his mark. It was stupid, that will never change but now… thinking about Bard made it seemed… all right. Sure, it wasn’t romantic but it was epic as hell.


End file.
